International Security Studies
University of Nottingham
UCAS Code: L245 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
University of Nottingham
UCAS Code: L245 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking.
If you have already achieved your Core Maths qualification at grade A you will automatically be offered one grade lower in a non-mandatory A level subject. If you are still studying for your Core Maths qualification you will receive the standard course offer, and also an alternate offer with a condition of one grade lower in a non-mandatory A level subject if you achieve an A grade in your Core Maths qualification. Core Maths qualifications offered by other exam boards are also considered for an alternative offer.
Access to HE Diploma
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Extended Project
If you have already achieved your EPQ at grade A you will automatically be offered one grade lower. If you are still studying for your EPQ you will receive the standard course offer, and also an alternate offer with a condition of one grade lower if you achieve an A grade in your EPQ. If you qualify for a contextual offer, your EPQ will be taken into consideration and the appropriate adjustment will be made to your offer. Please note that if you qualify for an enhanced contextual offer, your EPQ will not be taken into consideration as we are unable to make any further adjustments to your offer.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English grade 4/C required
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
or 6,6,5 in three Higher Level Certificates
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Considered with an A Level at grade A
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
Considered with two A Levels at grades AB
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish Highers at AABBB are also required
Scottish Higher
Scottish Advanced Highers at AA are also required
WJEC Level 3 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales
Considered with two A Levels at grades AB
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Are you looking to understand the most pressing security challenges of the 21st century? Would you like to be part of the solution to these global problems?
Our BA International Security Studies provides you with the theoretical and practical tools to address key political and security issues of our time and provide the key transferrable skills to equip you to understand, and work in a complex geopolitical environment.
Whether you're interested in combatting terrorism, managing the response to natural disasters, or promoting national security, our modules provide you with a deep understanding of the most pressing issues and debates in global politics and security, taught by our team of security experts in the School of Politics and International Relations. With a focus on both theoretical and practical learning, you'll be prepared to tackle real-world challenges and devise strategic solutions.
Our course goes beyond the theoretical, providing you with insights into the politics of the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa, and the EU. You’ll study traditional security threats and topics such as human, health and energy security, widening the security agenda. You may also have the option to study organisations that deal with emergent security threats, taking your interest further with dissertation supervision in your final year.
This course sets you up for a career in the private, public or charitable sectors. Whether you're interested in working as a parliamentary assistant, councillor, civil servant, researcher, or policy analyst, our course can help you achieve your career goals. Our school alumni have secured jobs at top organisations such as the BBC, Citibank, PwC, Civil Service, House of Commons, and Unison.
Modules
For detailed information about the modules you will study, please visit the course page:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studywithus/ugstudy/courses/UG/2025/international-security-studies-ba-U6UINTSS.html
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University Park Campus
School of Politics and International Relations
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Politics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Politics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Politics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£25k
£32k
£39k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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